The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has criticised striker Cyriel Dessers and faulted captain William Troost-Ekong following the Super Eagles’ 1-1 draw against South Africa in Tuesday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Bloemfontein.
The Super Eagles, needing victory to revive their fading qualification hopes, suffered an early blow when defender Ola Aina was forced off with injury in the eighth minute. Their problems deepened in the 25th minute when Troost-Ekong turned the ball into his own net to hand Bafana Bafana the lead.
Fulham’s Calvin Bassey, however, restored parity just before half-time, heading home after a link-up with Fisayo Dele-Bashiru. Despite dominating possession in the second half, Nigeria failed to make their chances count, with substitutes Tolu Arokodare, Samuel Chukwueze, and Chrisantus Uche all unable to find a breakthrough.
In a post-match statement issued by its Director of Communications, Dr. Ademola Olajire, the NFF singled out Dessers, who was withdrawn at half-time, for a poor performance.
“Cyriel Dessers, who had an unimpressive game in Uyo where he turned out to be a substitute that was substituted, did not have a better game as he was too slow to latch onto passes, could not win aerial balls and did little in bringing alive the Nigerian attack,” the statement read.
The federation also faulted Troost-Ekong for the own goal that put Nigeria behind.
“The Super Eagles’ fighting spirit was diminished for a period after team captain William Ekong inadvertently swept the ball into his own net in the 25th minute, wrong-footing Stanley Nwabali to give the Bafana the lead and great impetus,” the NFF stated.
However, the NFF praised Bassey for his determination in dragging Nigeria back into the contest.
“Defender Calvin Bassey showed immense fighting spirit and resilience to get Nigeria back into the game with a minute left of the first period, when he ran with the ball upfront. The ball found Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, whose pull-out Bassey met firmly to nod past Ronwen Williams for the leveller,” the statement added.
Despite that moment of brilliance, the NFF lamented Nigeria’s lack of cutting edge after the restart, insisting that “despite dominating possession in the second half, the Super Eagles delivered little,” while pointing out that Arokodare and Dele-Bashiru wasted late chances.
The result leaves Nigeria on 11 points from eight matches in Group C, six behind leaders South Africa, who top the table with 17 points. The Super Eagles must now beat both Lesotho and Benin Republic in their remaining fixtures — and hope rivals drop points — to stand any chance of qualifying for next year’s World Cup in North America.
